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COPyRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 




'Se look out across de mountain all mit snow 
white and mit moonlight cold' 



iVhencfhanna/i Vat 
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by 

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Copyright, 1915, hy 

Frederick A. Stokes Company 

All rights reserved 



September, 1915 



SEP -4 1915 

'CI.A410311 



*;i When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 



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WHEN HANNAH VAR 
EIGHT YAR OLD 

ERE you a little girl, 
Hannah, when you 

came to America?" I 

asked. 

"No," she replied, letting her 
sewing fall in her lap as her grave 
eyes sought mine slowly, "I var a 
big girl eight yar old." 

" Eight years old ? How big you 
must have been ! Can you tell me 
about it ? Why you came ? " 



When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 



The recent accounts of people 
driven to America by tragedy, or 
drawn by a larger hope of finding 
a life to live in addition to earning 
a living, had colored my thoughts 
for days. Have all immigrants — • 
the wilHess, leaden people who 
pass in droves through our railway 
stations; the patient, in- 
different toilers by the 
roadside; the maids who 
cook and mend for us; 
this girl who sits sewing 







When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

with me to-day — a memory and 
a vision? Is each of them in some 
degree a Mary Antin? So I closed 
the maga2;ine and asked her. — "A 
big girl eight yar old," she said. 

"Oh, welV Hannah explained, 
"in Old Country if you are eight yar 
old and comes younger child'n in 
familie, you are old 
woman; you gotta be, or 
who shall help demoder?" - 

" Yes ? Did your father 
and mother bring you?'' I 




When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

continued, probing for the story. 

"No, — fader and moder var daid. 
My h'aunt, my fader's broder's 
wife, se came for us. It cost 
her twenty -eight dollar, but se 
do it.'' 

"But surely you cant go to 
Sweden and return for twenty- 
eight dollars!" 

"Seventeen yar ago, yes, but of 
course you must to take your own 
providings. It don't require much." 
Hannah's shoulders drew together 
expressively. "Madam knows she 
is apt to miss her appetite at 



sea! 



"But too well." I shrugged 



When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 




sympathetically. Then we both 
laughed. 

"I can to tell you how it is I 
came on Ahmericah, but"^ — ^Han- 
nah waited for words to express 




When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

her warning — "it will make you 
a sharp sadness." 

"Please." 

"I don t know if I can tell it to 
you good, but I tell it so good as 
I can. My fader he var Swedish 
fisherman vat h'own his boat and 
go away by weeks and weeks, and 
sometimes comes strong wedder 
and he can t make it to get home 
quick. My moder se var German." 
Hannah hesitated, and then in 
lowered tones of soft apology 
added, "Se var a ver pretty woman. 
Var three child'n more as me — 
Olga var five yar old, and Hilda 
three and Jens — well, Jens var just 



When Hannah War Eight Yar Old 

a baby, suppose yar and half. We 
live in a little house close on by de 
sea. It is yust a little house, but 
it can to have a shed with a y 




floor of stone. The door of de shed 
is broken so it is like a window 
mitout glass. 

" The house is close on by a big 



When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

dock where in somer-time comes 
big excursion -steamer mit — sup- 
pose hundert tourist people who 
climb on de mountain up de road. 
My moder se sell dem hot coffee, 
also bread and cheese, but dat is 
not de reason why we live in de 
little so lonesome house. It is de 
big dock is de reason. My fader 
he can to come home from late 
fishings mitout needing dat he sail 
walk on de roads. In Sweden in 
winter de roads swallow snow^ till 
it makes dangersome to you to 
walk because hides holes to step 
in. We live dare all somer, 
but in late autumn my fader 



When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 






^^- ^ 






-^ *^> J^7''^^<^"^^P^- "^^^^ 



he say, 'What about de winter?' 
"My moder se say, *I dont 

know, but anyway ve try it 

vonce.' 

"Den my fader he go avay in 




When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

his boad and my moder se get bad 
cold and comes sickness on her, 
and ven se couldn't to keep care 
on us by reason se is too weak, se 
lay on de cot in de kitchen-room 
and vatch on me dat I sail learn 
to keep care on de child'n.'"' 

"But what did you live on? 
How did you keep warm?" 

"Oh, — is plenty fuel, and ve 
make hot stew of dried meat mit 
rice and raisins. 

"One day my moder se say me, 
'Hannah,' se say, 'you bain a big 
girl, I must to tell you sometings. 
You fader is very late, it seems, 
and winter comes now. I cannot 



When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

to wait much more. It is soon I 
got to go. You must n't take a 
fear of me if I come all white like 




de snow and don't talk mit you 
any more. De little child'n dey 
will take a fear and cry. I cannot 



When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

to bring a fear on my little child'n.'' 
"So se tell me what I sail do 
— I sail close bot' her eyes up and 
tie her hands togeder and lock 
de shed door." 
"The shed door!'' 
"Ya;' 

Hannah had resumed her sew- 
ing. Her thread fairly snapped as 
stitch fell by even stitch with 
monotonous rhythm. In quiet, 
uneventful tone she continued, — 
"So one night pretty soon se 
r\ make dat I sail bring her 
^3 best nightgown and help her 
mit to put it on. 
Den se kiss de little 




When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

cliild'n in dair sleepings and se sit 
on a stool by de fire and say I sail 
put Jens in her arms. Se try to 
rock back and fort' and se sing on 
him a little hymn. But se is too 
weak, and I must to take him. 
Den se put on me a shawl and tie 
it behind under my arms, and se 
lean heavy on me, and we go out 
into de shed. My moder se do 
her bare feet on de stone floor. 
Se have yust but her nightgown 
on, but it is her best one with 
crocheted lace at de neck i[] 
and wrists. Se tell me I sail ^^^| 
put de ironing-board 
across two chair- 




When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

seats, but it is too heavy and se 
sail try to help me, but comes 
coughing on her and se must to 
hold ofi by de shed door. Se look 
out across de road and de moun- 
tain all mit snow white and mit 
moonlight cold. And blood is on 
her lips but se wipe it away mit 
a snow bunch. Well, anyway, 
we do de ironing-board across de 
chair-seats and I spread a white 
sheet and put a head-cushion and 
my moder lie down and I cover 
her mit a more other sheet over. 

"'Oh, moder,' I say, 'let me 
make some warm coverings on 
you.' 



When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 



"'No,' se say, so soft dat I listen 
mit my ear, 'I must to come here 
while I yet have de stren th, but I 
want to go quick away, and in 
de cold I go more quick. Oh, 
Hannah ! ' se say, 'my big daughter ! 
You are so comfor^ 
table to me ! ' 

"So I hold my 

modershand. Pretty 

soon it comes cold. I 

klapp it mit mine, but it 

comes more cold. I 

crumple it up and 

breathe my hot breath 

in it, but it comes not 

warm any more. So mit 




When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

my fader's Sunday handkerchief 
I bind her eyes like if you play 
Blindman mit de child'n, and mit 
an apron "String I tie her hands 
together. Den I go back and make 
my hands warm in de kitchen-room 
and I take de comb down off de 
string, and I go back to my moder 
and make her hair in two braids 
like as I did all when se was sick. 
My moder se haf very strong hair; 
it is down by her knees on and so 
yellow, — so yellow as a copper tea^ 
kettle! It could to haf been red 
but it yust are not. Den I lock 
de shed door and crawl in bed mit 
de child'n to make me warm. 



When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

"Next day I tell de child n dat 
moder is gone away. Dey cry 
some, but pretty soon dey shut up. 
Anyway, it is so long se haf lain 
on de cot in de kitchen-room dat 
dey don t haf to miss her. 

"So I keep care on de child'n 
and play wid dem, and some days 
go by. Comes stronger wedder 
mit storms of sleet and snow, and 
de wind sob and cry. 

"Comes nobody on. At night 
when de child'n are sleeping I 
unlock de shed door and go 
to see if it makes all right mit 
my moder. Sometimes it is by 
de moonlight I see on her, but 



When Hannah Var Eidu Yar Old 



more often it is by a candle- 
glimmer.'"' 

Hannah broke the subdued tone 
of her narrative to add in a lower, 
more confiding note, "It is mit me 
now dat when I see a candle on 
light I haf a sharp 
sadness. 

"Pretty soon de 

wedder is more bet- 

ter, and comes a man 

trompling troo de snow 

to tell my moder dat 

her husband can t come 

home yust yet — he is 

drowned in de sea. 

When he see how it is mit 




When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 



my moder and mit me and de little 
child'n, de water stands in his eyes 
— ya. And he go on, troo de snow, 
tree, four mile nearer on de city to 
de big castle where live de lady wat 
h'own all de land and se come in 
sleigh mit four horsen and big robes 
of fur and yingling bells. Se see 
on my moder and se go quick 
away, but so soon as it can, se 
come again and se do on my moder 
a white robe, heavy mit lace, most 
beautiful! and white stockings of 
silk and white slippers broidered 
mit pearlen. Se leaf my moder s 
hair, as I fixed it, in two braids, 
but se put a wreath of flowers, 



When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

white and green, yust like de real 
ones. Is few real flowers in Sweden 
in winter. Anyway, dese var like 
de flowers a girl vat gets married 




should ^ -£^_.^/g:r 

to wear. Den my 
lady se send her sleigh dat all de 
people should come and see on de 
so brave woman vat could n't to 
bring a fear on her little child'n. 



When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

And de people dey make admira- 
tion on my moder. Dey say it is 
de prettiest dey ever see it, and 
dey make pity dat se could n t to 




see it herself.'"* She paused and 
breathed deeply. "I wish se could 
have to seen dose slippers!" 
"And did no one tell you that 



When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

you were a wonderful little girl?" 
"Oh, veil — I var eight yar old." 
"But what became of you all?" 
"My lady took us home in her 
sleigh mit — I want to stay mit my 
moder, but se say I sail come to 
keep care on de child'n dat dey 
don t cry. And dey don t cry — • 
dey laugh mit de yingling bells. 
De need was on me strong, but I 
don't cry before my lady. Se var 
great dame vat go in de court mit 
de queen. Se sent men and dey do 
my moder in a coffin and carry her 
to a little chapel house in cemetaire 
and in de spring ven de snow is 
gone dey bury her. My lady se put 



When Hannah Var Eight Yar Old 

a white stone mit my moderns 
name and some poetry — I can't to 
say it good in English, but it says, 
'The stren th in the heart of her 
poor is the hope of Sweden/ " 
"And then did your aunt come?" 
"Ya; my lady se wrote on my 
fader's broder vat var in Ahmericah. 
Se say we can to stay mit her, but 
my onkle he send his wife, and we 
come back mit her on Ahmericah, 
und dat is all how I came to be 
here/"* 




